Google is Not Invincible

Google Glass? That's still in beta. And right now the market potential for $1,500 spy-wear with a reputation for creepiness and a three-hour battery life looks limited.

Google+? It's no Facebook.

Google Office? Gmail? Fine products, but really just offshoots of Google's search engine. They sell you to advertisers; they don't sell anything to you. Again, NTTAWWT, but it's a far cry from Gapper's claim. Same story with Google Maps. It's great technology -- whose sole purpose is to collect your data and push ads at you.

Gapper is on firmer ground when he says that new-ish CEO Larry Page has tightened the company's focus. He certainly has. But what Page hasn't done is made Google a profitable player in much of anything outside of search.

He may well do so -- he's a smart man with a big vision and deep pockets. But he's not there yet.